Raghu Appasani, MD
Dr. Raghu Kiran Appasani is an Integrative Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist, and Social Entrepreneur focused on bridging the gap between western and eastern practices to create a wholesome society by taking a proactive approach to health. Dr. Appasani graduated from The University of Massachusetts with his Medical Doctorate in 2018, where he received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award from the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He is currently the Chief Resident of Integrated Care Services and receipt of the Della Martin Foundation Research Award at the LAC+USC Medical Center/University of Southern California. He is also founder of Appasani MD PC, a private mental health practice taking a holistic integrative approach to care. Dr. Appasani is the Chief Medical Officer at PYM Health—which is the first neurotransmitter company focused on nutritional psychiatry.
Dr. Appasani is the Founder & CEO of The MINDS Foundation, a mental health nonprofit, for which he has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, One Young World Delegate Ambassador, StartingBloc Fellow, Nexus Global Delegate, EchoingGreen, MassChallenge, and Kellogg Innovation Network Delegate. Through his extensive scientific research, he has published over 35 peer-reviewed articles and edited five books. He has given over 100 talks on mental health, entrepreneurship, global health, and consciousness in parallel with authorship and features in CNN, Vogue, The Boston Globe, ThriveGlobal, The Better India, and The Huffington Post. Throughout his medical career, he has focused on the impact of mental health in physicians, developing initiatives at medical institutions to combat suicide and build resilience, working extensively with Graduate Medical Education leadership. He currently sits on the board of directors for GeneExpression Systems, Inc., and the Leadership Board of Vista Del Mar. He is a Medical Advisor at PYM Health, One More Light, and GladFul as well as an advisor to Mud\Wtr and Pathways to Empower and consultant to the GLEOW Group and Athari Group. Clinically, Dr. Appasani is trained in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Group Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention. He also completed the MAPS MDMA Psychotherapy Program as a Health Equity Scholar. His clinical interests lie in psychedelic therapy, mood disorders (depression, bipolar), addiction, anxiety disorders, OCD spectrum, eating disorders, trauma, and personality spectrum conditions. His passion lies at the intersection of mental health literacy, consciousness, global psychiatry, mindfulness, digital health, personalized medicine, psychedelics, wellness, and social entrepreneurship. Dr. Appasani believes that we all have mental health and therefore believes that healing occurs through the integration of psychotherapy, medication management, supplementation with natural sources, nutrition, and physical fitness. Dr. Appasani is a member of the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine, American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, Southern California Psychiatric Society, and the Psychedelic Medicine Association.
